The announcement of PS5 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) getting a remake for PlayStation 5 rocked the gaming world. The original KOTOR is in many people’s personal best RPG list of all time and holds a special place for both gamers as well Star Wars fans. The idea of a remake is huge in numerous ways. So, let’s break down why the PS5 KOTOR remake is a huge deal.
Reimagining a Classic: PS5 Star Wars KOTOR
Knights of the Old Republic is seen as one of, if not THE best role-playing game ever when it was released on July 15th in 2003. The game, developed by BioWare (which was of course Independent back in 2003) introduced players to a deep and sprawling Star Wars universe some four millennia before the rise of Emperor Palpatine’s Galactic Empire. KOTOR, with its profound story and characters combined with an immersive gaming experience helped establish some of the very first moral choices in a video game.
This is the perfect opportunity to introduce a classic anime franchise to an entire new audience of gamers through this remake. The remake, suffice to say it will have significantly upgraded visuals and technicals with PS5’s hardware so you can imagine how different this will be provided just how dated the game was. Both newcomers and veterans will be able to experience KOTOR in a fresh new way with updated graphics, refined gameplay mechanics, and maybe even more content. For some, it’s old favorites new life; for others, the realization of what gaming meant to them back then in a package more befitting 2015.
Rekindling the Flame for Star Wars RPGs
The Star Wars franchise in the world of games, it has been spreaded to many genres from experiences designed as first-person shooters to simulators space combat. While the Star Wars universe has been explored in many forms, KOTOR really took things to a different level. The success of the remake could spark new interest in Star Wars RPGs, a genre that has been relatively dormant since the original game’s sequel, Knights of Fallen Empire II: The Sith Lords and BioWare’s MMO title Star Wars: The Old Republic.
It would allow for more to fully emerge in the wake of a successful remake that some day tells other stories from different eras within the timeline they have created. For just about as long, fans have been left wanting a KOTOR III or even new RPGs set in the Old Republic era. Would a well-received remake tell developers and publishers that people really want these types of games, setting off another wave of story-driven Star Wars releases?
Remaking The Test of Faith
Over the past few years in particular, there have been many remakes and remasters of games especially within the gaming industry. Others, such as ‘Final Fantasy VII Remake,’ are praised for taking a beloved classic and reimagining the story but arguable keeping the soul of its predecessor. And some others have been taking flak for not matching their expectation. Perhaps no other game is more important for that than the KOTOR remake, and it’s an especially weighty endeavour as this isn’t just any ol’ fan pleaser of a remaster — it’s one with both hardcore fans AND legacy to uphold.
Now, Aspyr Media — the studio behind this remake — needs to walk a fine line when taking that beloved classic and making it as good in 2021 while still retaining what made it so cherished some twenty-five years ago. With so much existing on this reboot, the pressure is certainly on to deliver a game that will satisfy a long-time audience and appeal itself not only to just regular gamers – but more casual fans as well. Depending on this project, other studios will take a clue about remakes in the coming days. To contemplate the beauty of that (for now still theoretical) Kay-Oh-Tor A Deep Dive While I Take You Through My Childhood Remake™which has yet to be announced, but damn I hope it gets made and done right because if so It Could Be The Platonic Ideal Of How To Do Nostalgia And Innovation Justicebenchmark.
Conclusion
Why the PS5 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake is huge. This is a chance to bring an iconic game back into the limelight, renew interest in Star Wars as a property for RPGs and establish how remakes should be handled. Until we learn more specifics and it actually launches, that is still true. But one thing now remains clear: The KOTOR remake will be a tentpole game of its age for years to come.
